As a company, we hold an unrivalled reputation within the High Speed and Traffic Management industries for providing reliable solutions and platinum level service. Recent years have shown us the true scope of our products, with the COVID-19 pandemic calling for clear and concise messaging in many new areas, such as retail and on high streets in town or city centres, the VMS-A played a central role in the COVID messaging strategy for so many customers all over the UK.

Over the years, the VMS-A has proven itself highly capable when it comes to urban deployments. As our mid-sized portable solar powered Variable Message Sign, the VMS-A is one of our most popular units, serving a wide range of applications. The pandemic really brought the VMS-A’s versatility to the fore, helping customers to see just how powerful it can be when it comes to messaging and communicating information in urban environments.

What makes the VMS-A so perfect?

Striking a seemingly ideal balance between size and messaging capability for urban environments, the VMS-A boasts a smaller footprint than the VMS-C, but a larger screen than the HD Compact VMS, making it both versatile and powerful.

Designed for messaging on roads under 50mph, its small footprint allows it to be deployed in locations with limited space such as car parks or high streets. For urban environments, this is highly important and it boasts an impressive range of features that can be used by customers for a variety of traffic management and crowd control applications.

One of these features is its control capabilities. The VMS-A can be operated remotely via web browser or smart phone device and it can also be configured for scheduled operation and vehicle activation so that it doesn’t display messages when it is not needed. Messages can be updated quickly and easily, allowing site managers to be responsive to changes in the situation.

The VMS-A also boasts a 5-colour LED display that is ideal for displaying pictograms and logos, tackling language barriers and offering promotion of your brand in the right circumstances.

The unit is also perfect for integrations. Along with our sister company, Bartco UK, we have made many adaptations to the VMS-A that make it even more functional. Optional integrations such as CCTV or the ITS Integrated Environmental Sensor allow the VMS-A to double up as a multifunctional unit that can either increase security and safety or serve as  a low cost air quality monitoring station.

Couple these aspects with the unit’s integrated data collection radar, which, for many customers is a premium feature that really sets it apart from competing portable VMS available in the market. Using the sign’s data collection radar, customers can obtain data regarding traffic, capturing trend data on volume, speed, date and time of traffic.

This makes planning much easier, allowing customers with multiple projects in the area or on the same stretch of road learn more about the traffic-related risk as time goes on. Even better, with one of our signs deployed in the location of the works sometime beforehand, it can warn drivers of the upcoming disruption and collect data at the same time, helping with planning and traffic management, giving the drivers an opportunity to find a different route before the works start.

Who can make the most out of the VMS-A?

These features can be particularly useful for utility companies, who may be required to conduct multiple works on the same stretch of road for maintenance or installation of the vital grid connections we have into our homes and businesses for gas, water and internet.

Traditional traffic management companies can massively benefit from using the VMS-A.

Working with a company who specialise in High Speed works, where often restrictions and requirements are much more stringent than urban traffic management brings its own benefits. An exceptionally high level of service from MVIS is augmented by the range of features the VMS-A packs in. Optional and default integrations such as the data collection radar or the environmental sensor may offer traffic management customers premium level features for a low cost relative to competing solutions, which then in turn allow our traffic management customers to offer those solutions themselves using our equipment.

The VMS-A’s messaging power can also be leveraged for displaying messaging and updates to the public in situations such as emergencies, festivals and events. Such situations may call for strong messaging especially if they attract large numbers of people, allowing the VMS-A to really come into its own.

We have even seen the VMS-A used by the likes of charities to help raise awareness of their fundraisers. Some fundraisers even affect the road network, such as Ashgate Hospice’s Sparkle Walk, which necessitates the closure of several roads in Chesterfield annually.

Multiple signs are deployed each year around Chesterfield in the lead up to the event to warn drivers of the upcoming disruption. These signs are then switched to close the roads at the right time for the event, combining road closures, promotion and traffic management warnings in the same deployment.

Local authorities also find some innovative uses of our VMS-A, especially for communicating campaigns and initiatives. A popular initiative  for local authorities is raising awareness of Park and Ride services as an alternative to driving in the city or town centre. Likewise, we have seen our units used to help promote ‘car free’ zones and for drivers to turn off idle engines in traffic by using the powerful messaging capabilities to help communicate with large numbers of people to help keep emissions down in our urban areas. 

If you would like to learn more about our VMS-A, please contact us via our contact form. Alternatively, you can call us on 01629 580 570 to speak to one of our friendly team, or you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.

The original 5 colour VMS-A is one of our most popular and versatile products, offering a wide range of benefits that can be used for various applications.

From data collection to assisting with messaging needs for national emergencies, the VMS-A can be used for many tasks that break away from the traditional traffic management applications expected from ordinary portable variable message signs. 

Indeed, the VMS-A is no ordinary portable variable message sign. This unit strikes a perfect balance between the size of its footprint and screen size to allow it to be used for many applications for different industries, and when considering the technology that can be integrated with the VMS-A, it’s quite clear that this unit offers more than just traffic management.  

During the pandemic, we saw numerous deployments nationwide in town and city centres to help local authorities spread the right message.

We even worked with retail, who were dealing with crises of their own when certain stores were forced to close and others could stay open. Clear and concise messaging was important to guide customers at retail parks, inform on a store’s COVID policy or even to help manage queuing.

The VMS-A is also a called-on solution to help with messaging needs for local charities and events. We can deploy the VMS-A in locations with high footfall such as supermarket car parks to help charities promote or explain their campaigns. The Christmas Tractor even used a VMS-A to display sponsor’s logos on the sign and then promote them on Facebook. 

Another example is Ashgate Hospicecare’s annual Sparkle Walk, which requires the closure of roads across Chesterfield. Multiple VMS-A units are deployed around the affected areas a week prior to the event so that drivers are made aware of the upcoming disruption as well as helping to spread the message about the Sparkle Walk.

The VMS-A isn’t just for text – its 5 colour display makes it ideal for pictograms too. In traffic management applications, we traditionally apply this potential to speed roundels, road closures and any other traffic management pictogram signs. 

However, using a browser or mobile device, clients can display more than just the expected traffic signalling pictograms and recreate all sorts of images such as logos and other pictures with Web Studio or the Bartco LiveApp. 

The VMS-A’s integrations also make it nearly as functional as its primary purpose. Units discreetly contain a data collation radar that can be used to collect the following traffic data;

• Speed
• Time
• Date

As a low-cost alternative to many data collection solutions on the market, the VMS-A is ideal to be used as a data source for the analysis of traffic trends, enabling greater intelligence for planning projects of all kinds.

This feature alone makes it more important than just a typical portable variable message sign. 

In the same way, a recent innovation of our VMS-A sees an environmental sensor integrated with it to offer clients the ability to monitor the external environment.

The ITS Integrated Environmental Sensor produces a wide range of air pollution data that can be used to inform and direct on issues of air pollution safety. This solution is a low-cost system that offers the ability to build a high-density ambient air quality monitoring network that records data in real-time.

With low power demands, integration with the VMS-A offers air quality monitoring in many applications, including but not limited to:

• Work places/work areas
• Construction site safety
• Events
• Town centres/cities
• Urban roads / Highways

These applications make this product a useful tool for a variety of industries, organisations and projects concerned with air quality, such as schools, Tier 1 construction contractors and local authorities who may need such data for planning, safety or to measure changes. 

Another recent development of the VMS-A integrates CCTV, allowing you to have eyes on the ground without having to be physically present on-site.

The combined use of such technologies allows our VMS-A to offer an information, surveillance and feedback solution that can be used to monitor driver and pedestrian behaviour without having to be on-site.

The VMS CCTV is ideal for:

• Queue management
• Parking management
• Works egress safety
• Site safety
• Events & wayfinding

As time goes on, it’s exciting to think about how the VMS-A will not only evolve but also impact new and familiar markets. Only last year, MVIS partnered with data sharing solutions specialists, Chordant, on a trial that showed how the VMS A data collection radar can act as a real-time portable traffic data system that produced comparable traffic speeds and flow relative to Coventry SCOOT data, exposed through Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) on the oneTRANSPORT Data Marketplace.

The implications of this project are far-reaching. Data, as a commodity, specifically in the name of safety, is a highly valuable asset that’s only becoming more important, as local authorities, traffic management companies and many other groups scramble to learn more about traffic trends. This data can be used in planning projects of many kinds and offers increased intelligence than can impact society in a wide range of ways.

There’s no telling where the current and future innovations of the VMS-A could lead, with integrations and potential uses that could help increase safety, monitor the environment, help with planning and even keep order on the streets. 

If you would like to learn more about our VMS-A, please contact us via our contact form. Alternatively, you can call us on 01629 580 570 to speak to one of our friendly team, or you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.

The Solar Intelligent Platform (IP) is one of MVIS and Bartco UK’s flagship products and the reason for this is clear.

The Solar IP is a highly versatile and functional unit that offers users the ability to mount and power their technology, bringing portability to technology that is usually fixed due to power constraints.

The Solar IP represents a revolution in the industry, allowing business and government bodies to make use of the technology they already have. For example, where previous investment has been made in technology that is now redundant or not fit for a new purpose, the Solar IP allows the potential to re-utilise the units in a portable application.

Horizon Parking, for example use our Solar IPs to grant portability to their ANPR units. Whilst Horizon would ordinarily utilise fixed ANPR units, there are some car parks and locations that can’t facilitate fixed power solutions. Horizon’s Solar IPs allow them to supply such locations with their usual ANPR parking provision without having to invest in new or different ANPR cameras.

In this sense, it also offers increased versatility to other technologies, which may help to make new solutions possible. A great example of this is the innovative Portable Low Light CCTV product development that brought a new level of CCTV quality to portable applications. This product was made possible by the combination of The Invictus HD camera from 360 Vision with Bartco UK’s Solar IP.

The development brings a lot to safety, security and site management applications, allowing for the monitoring of areas even in low light. This is especially important in safety applications such as highways construction, where the low light could be a danger to workers and drivers alike.

The crowing feature of this product however is its solar credentials. A trailer based power bank is an attractive solution on its own, but when considering the environmentally friendly power output, it may even be a preferred solution to fixed power, if the long term environmental impact of the installation is a consideration, for example.

Despite this, the Solar IP is so versatile and highly featured that a customer may only need a few aspects of it to solve their problem. In the case of Amey, they required 10 bespoke units to accommodate their client’s specific needs and own technology.

Having a site that already had power, the client required an adjustable mounting solution and backup power supply for their CCTV. We were able to develop our Solar IP to allow them to source power from the mains and utilise the unit’s 6m mast.

Both MVIS and Bartco UK remain committed to our customer’s requirements and It’s products such as the Solar IP that demonstrates this. The Solar IP isn’t just a solar powered, trailer-based power bank, it stands as an embodiment of our commitments to serving and accommodating our customers. It also stands as an invitation to businesses to consider their own technology’s limitations, and how the Solar IP could expand uses or applications, especially in 2020, where we are relying on new technologies to help battle COVID-19.

For more information about our Solar IP and how it can be adapted to integrate with your technology, please contact us via our contact form.

Alternatively, you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.

Over the last few years, MVIS have launched a range of new solutions and products that have brought new levels of safety to the market. One of the latest in this line of innovations is the Compact Portable CCTV, which integrates an outdoor IP65 wire-free CCTV camera with our solar powered ‘Compact’ base, making the unit more portable as well as offering a reduced footprint compared to other solutions.

Being solar powered makes the unit even more versatile, preventing the need for an external power source and offering extended run times in recommended conditions. Our compact base offers the camera not only portability, but also a 3M mast, allowing users excellent visibility when used in conjunction with the camera’s pan, tilt and zoom functions.

With hidden cabling, this unit is secured against vandalism or accidental damage and can be easily moved to the client’s requirements.

Due to its size, this unit is ideal for a wide range of applications. Competing solutions often require a much larger footprint or for fixed solutions, they may require a power supply that can restrict where they can be located, limiting the applications they can be used.

This makes the Compact Portable CCTV unit ideal for many different applications and industries and the camera itself is a highly capable solution for security, monitoring work zones and anything else that requires an outdoor HD camera, such as docks, marinas, farms and wider construction applications.   

This unit can even be applied to innovative applications such as queue management, allowing site managers to monitor queues without even being present. This could be especially effective in retail for example, which has seen drastic changes since the COVID pandemic and due to Brexit.

For more information about the Compact Portable CCTV, please contact us via our contact form.

Alternatively, you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.

MVIS carry a reputation in the industry for top quality products and service that offer a lot to our customers. Contained within our solar powered, portable VMS is a data collection radar that can be used to collection traffic trend data on speed, time and date. This integration makes our portable VMS ideal for discreetly collecting data in key locations for intelligence and planning and is just one example of how much added value our units bring.

In recent months, we have been working on a very special development that is compatible with all of our units – the ITS Integrated Environmental Sensor.

The ITS Integrated Environmental Sensor offers customers the ability to monitor the external environment, producing a wide range of air pollution data that can be used to inform and direct on issues of air pollution safety.

This solution provides clients with a multifunctional, low-cost system that offers the ability to build a high-density ambient air quality monitoring network that records data in real-time, as well as serving the function – or indeed functions – that the unit it is attached to fulfils.

This is especially practical, as in many cases where environmental data is required, other ITS solutions would enhance safety or are already being used, such as our portable Variable Message Signs, or portable CCTV, making the integration an important distinction between our units and our competitor’s.

Due to its low power demands, the ITS Integrated Environmental Sensor can be used to monitor air quality in workplaces, construction sites, events, town centres or cities and urban roads or Highways as well as anywhere where air quality is a concern.

Schools, Tier 1 construction contractors, local authorities, traffic management companies and a variety of private businesses can make use of this solution that offers a very low cost alternative to static Air Quality monitoring stations, allowing clients to cover more space, quickly and cost effectively.

Collected data can be displayed in real-time onto an online management dashboard. More detailed graphs allow clients to drill down and analyse the data on a minute by minute, day by day basis and fully customer-branded breakdown reports are also available from us for our customer’s convenience, making presenting and reporting on the data easier than ever.

For more information about our ITS Integrated Environmental Sensor and how it can help you with air quality monitoring, please contact us via our contact form.

Alternatively, you can call us on 01629 580 570 or email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.

The MVIS / Bartco UK group are well known in the industry for bringing cutting edge innovations to the market that help to raise safety standards across the board. Some of our latest product innovations have seen great success already, such as the launch of the HD Compact VMS version 2 in 2020.

However, there is one area of product development that has been seeing particular success within the group, and that is with our product integrations.

Product integrations form the foundation of our solutions that include the Solar IP, as well as offering enormous added value when it comes to our portable variable message signs, separating them from competing portable VMS.

The Solar IP by its nature is built for integrations. Offering a solar powered, trailer-based power bank that can be combined with other technologies to grant them portability. Whilst we do sell and hire the Solar IP to customers for integration with their existing technologies, we also have worked on our own integrations in partnership with other companies to hire and sell in their own right.

A recent example of this can be found with our Portable Low Light CCTV, which was developed in partnership with 360 Vision, using their Invictus HD camera.

The camera itself offers a fully ruggedized housing, with exceptional build quality. The toughened optical glass window features a wiper and its Pan & Tilt gearbox is ultra-reliable and resilient. Its integrated high-performance IR lights with intelligent control enables powerful performance in low light conditions.

As a result of the low power demands of this unit, it is able to perform to extended run times using our Solar IP as a power source, filling a strong market requirement for a CCTV product that is also portable, solar powered and has a much clearer image than seen in previous solutions in the market.

We have also recently developed a Portable IVD (Individual Vehicle Data) Radar, which employs proven enforcement-grade radar & measurement techniques to track & measure speed, length, lane/direction of individual targets.

The Portable IVD can replace intrusive high-maintenance loops and other radar mounting options with its use of the Solar IP, which serves as its power source. The applications of this solution are far reaching, offering sectors such as traffic management and events a solution that can meet such specific but common requirements.

Our VMS have also seen some drastic improvements in recent years, with a number of integrations that bring added value to their functionality.

One of these has been the Portable CCTV VMS Solution, which discreetly integrates a CCTV camera with our VMS-A, allowing you to have eyes on the ground without having to be physically present on-site, creating a surveillance and feedback solution that can be used to monitor and respond to situations quickly.

A very recent integration option has been the ITS Environmental Sensor, which can actually be integrated to any of our solutions and offers clients the ability to monitor the external environment, producing a wide range of air pollution data that can be used to inform and direct on issues of air pollution safety.

This solution is a low-cost system that offers the ability to build a high-density ambient air quality monitoring network that records data in real-time.

Integrating this sensor with any of our ITS solutions allows us to offer clients effective, multi-functional units that bring not just the benefits of the sensors themselves to portable applications, but also all the functionality of the products they are integrated with.

This is especially practical, as in many cases where environmental data is required, other ITS solutions would enhance safety or are already being used.

These product developments are a testament to our commitment to improvement and our customers. We continuously strive to offer our clients the very best with our products and service, giving rise to new and improved solutions that will offer added value to clients of all sizes.

Tom Hooton, Research and Development Manager for the group comments, “We are well known for bringing new innovations to the industry, such as the HD Compact back in 2016 which offered the first compact portable VMS to the market. We have not stopped innovating and have developed many important solutions that meet a variety of needs. Integrations form the backbone of these innovations as we look to improve what we do best, bringing added value to our products for our customers ”

He continues, “The next few years are going to be very exciting for us as we bring more solutions to the market that make use of our already multifunctional ITS fleet.”

A ground-breaking development. A true first. Pioneering for the sector.

All statements that can be made about the MVIS HD Compact VMS. With work zone safety of paramount importance, the MVIS team developed this minimal footprint, extremely lightweight VMS unit that first saw action on our road network in 2016.

In keeping with the company ethos, the initial unit has been further developed, refined and improved, with the HD Compact v2 showcasing the very latest in work zone safety capability.

MVIS’ HD Compact was the first of its kind, designed for use within work zones in order to improve safety and to communicate information to the public.

The unit’s small footprint and adjustable height makes it highly versatile. Additionally, the display content can be updated remotely. With hidden cabling, the unit is secured against vandalism or accidental damage and benefits from the data collection radar integrated in all of MVIS’ signs.

The unit itself weighs below 10kg, making it perfect for fast deployment and manoeuvrability on site. Extremely portable, the manoeuvrability aspect of the HD Compact is unrivalled, with no other unit providing the same level of adaptability – even in rapidly changing circumstances.

Additionally, the HD Compact v2 can be installed on existing street furniture, as well on its own battery box and post – further versatility for this industry leading innovation.

Adaptability

Not stopping with its level of adaptability physically, the nature of the entire functionality makes this the most versatile unit on the market.

Power can be provided via mains, battery or solar, and the capability of the HD Compact v2 means deployment of this lightweight unit is equally as effective as either a temporary or permanent solution on urban highways and roads, or within larger highways schemes for on-site safety messaging.

The smaller footprint of the unit makes it the perfect choice for limited space schemes and environments, bringing safety on site to roadworkers due to limited encroachment into workspace.

Versatility in Messaging

The display messaging of the unit continues to deliver in terms of rapid response, as well as versatility. Controlled from the MVIS WebStudio, displays can be instantly changed via browser or mobile device according to requirements surrounding the unit. Furthermore, whether it’s safety messaging, speed alerts or general public notifications – the HD Compact v2 ticks all the boxes.

The LED display continues to showcase MVIS’ dedication to sustainability and the display offers both red and white colours for messaging.

Cost Effectiveness

Fully equipped with radar and data collection capability, the HD Compact v2 is an incredible low-cost alternative to many data collection solutions on the market, offering a data source for the analysis of traffic trends and enabling greater intelligence for planning projects of all kinds.

The Solar IP has a reputation for being a highly useful and versatile unit that brings portability to integrated technology. However, it is often a surprising point for our customers just how versatile this product is, as they see it through the lens of the product they are interested in. The Solar IP offers simple integration for all sorts of technologies that they may not have even considered.

CCTV / Surveillance Technologies

As one of the more common integrations with our Solar IP, this unit brings traditionally fixed CCTV technologies to portable, temporary applications. The scope of this is vast, with all the surveillance technologies available in today’s world, the Solar IP is a lifeline to those who require such technologies to operate in non-fixed, portable applications.

This is especially important these days, where technology is helping to solve new and emerging issues that surveillance and CCTV technologies are being applied to, such as new security concerns in a modern world or even COVID.

ANPR

As law enforcement is expected to keep up with the pace of criminality, technology is increasingly being employed to help solve problems such as stretched work forces, how to disrupt criminality on a mass scale and how to save money.

Applying ANPR to our Solar IP could help with these issues, allowing law enforcement to apply portable ANPR technology to a given area without having to be present, as they do with handheld or vehicle integrated solutions. This not only frees up officers in man hours, but also allows them to station ANPR solutions in a variety of different locations that law enforcement vehicles may not be able to get to.

On a wider level, as when applied to CCTV technologies, the Solar IP opens up new applications to help solve emerging problems in the world of today, making it a highly versatile and powerful unit.

Another industry that uses ANPR is the parking industry, who use the technology to monitor car parks where payment is required or there is a maximum stay duration. In such an application, it allows parking companies to better protect car parks, get the charge they are owed and enforce stay durations for locations such as supermarket car parks.

By making this portable, it allows the companies to better cater to events or temporary applications, preventing the need for permanent installations as well as allowing for easy product demonstrations.

Data / Sensors

Our ability to detect and measure aspects of our environment has been increasing drastically in recent years, generating data that we can use to improve society. Technologies such as traffic data solutions or environmental sensors provide us with unique safety insights that have only become possible in the past few decades – and things are only getting better.

As these new sensors improve in accuracy and capability, attention turns to how to apply them, with a power supply being a major concern over how we can make the most out of them. Our Solar IP allows many of these technologies a chance at portability, allowing such sensors to be located at more strategically considered areas.

Bespoke Solutions

Along with existing and common technologies, as the Solar IP serves as an industrial sized power bank, we can also enable the integration of bespoke technologies that allows fixed solutions to be portable.

It’s for this reason that the Solar IP isn’t just a solar powered, trailer-based power bank, it stands as an embodiment of our commitments to serving and accommodating our customers. It also stands as an invitation to businesses to consider their own technology’s limitations, and how the Solar IP could expand uses or applications, especially in today’s world, where we are relying on new technologies to help battle new challenges as a society.

For more information about our Solar IP and how it can be adapted to integrate with your technology, please contact us via our contact form.

Alternatively, you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.